AFP
BANGKOK — A Thai court Friday convicted and sentenced a female "Red Shirt" protester to 18 years in prison for insulting the country's revered monarchy during anti-government rallies, an official said.
Daranee Charncherngsilapakul, 46, a hardcore supporter of Thailand's ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was found guilty of making speeches that were insulting to the Thai royal family.
The judge at Bangkok's main criminal court said her speeches at Sanam Luang park in the capital during three pro-Thaksin rallies in June and July last year were against the law of lese majeste, the court official told AFP.
"The court convicted the defendant on three counts and sentenced her for six years on each count," she said.
"Although the defendant testified that she did not intend to insult the monarchy or make the public believe her, she could not escape her wrongdoing," the verdict said.
Lese majeste -- insulting the monarchy -- is a serious charge in Thailand. Anyone can file a complaint, and police are duty-bound to investigate it in a country where the king is treated with almost religious adulation.
Media watchdogs have criticised increased use of the law in recent months, with crackdowns on Internet freedoms leading to more than 4,800 web pages being blocked under the law since March last year, according to officials.In April a 34-year-old Thai engineer was jailed for ten years for posting a doctored clip on the Internet.
Daranee is better known as Da Torpedo because of her hard-hitting speeches at political protests.
Her fellow "Red Shirt" demonstrators are planning a mass rally on Sunday but the government has said it will use a harsh internal security law to prevent the gathering.
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